Showcase · Day 1 to Day 14

Italy. Food and hill towns.

Rome, an Umbrian base, Florence and a slow finish on the Ligurian coast. Markets in the morning, long lunches, and nothing booked after four.

Painted panel for the Italy trip
Nights
13
Party
Two people
Budget
A$16,000 for two, flights in
Best months
April to early June
Dates and pricesPlan this trip for me
Checked, dated, sourced

The facts behind this trip.

Estimates say estimate. Forecasts say risk. Every line carries where it came from and the day it was read.

Opening days

State museums in Rome

Many close on Mondays, check each site

Italian Ministry of Culture · checked 05/09/2026

Price

Four star double, shoulder season

A$310 a night, estimate not a quote

Planning estimate · checked 05/09/2026

Transport

Frecciarossa advance fares

Open about four months ahead, cheapest fares go first

Trenitalia · checked 05/09/2026

Key decision

One hill-town base, not four

Umbria is the middle of the trip and the part people rush. One house for four nights beats four check-ins, and the drives stay under an hour each way.

Rome3nUmbria4nFlorence3nLigurian coast3n
Base 1 · Day 1 to Day 3

Rome

Arrival, then the two big rooms of the city on separate mornings so neither is done tired.

  • Day 1: land, walk the neighbourhood, early dinner near the apartment, nothing booked
  • Day 2: Forum and Palatine at opening, long lunch, Trastevere in the evening
  • Day 3: Vatican Museums first entry, then the Pantheon late when the queue has gone
Base 2 · Day 4 to Day 7

Umbria

The rest of the trip runs on this base. Markets, one cooking afternoon, and two hill towns at most.

  • Day 4: train to Orvieto, collect the car, settle in, dinner at the house
  • Day 5: Saturday market, then Todi in the afternoon
  • Day 6: cooking afternoon with a local family, nothing after it
  • Day 7: Spoleto and the aqueduct walk, back before dark
Base 3 · Day 8 to Day 10

Florence

Three nights so the Uffizi and the Accademia land on different mornings.

  • Day 8: drop the car outside the restricted zone, train in, evening walk over the Arno
  • Day 9: Uffizi at opening, San Miniato at sunset
  • Day 10: Accademia, then the Oltrarno workshops in the afternoon
Base 4 · Day 11 to Day 13

Ligurian coast

A slow finish. Swimming, boats between villages, and no cultural obligations at all.

  • Day 11: train to the coast, afternoon swim
  • Day 12: boat along the villages, walk one section only
  • Day 13: last morning at the water, then the airport train
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